marshall



No. 25,555. PATENTBD 00T. 4, 1859. H. MARSHALL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

H. MARSHALL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

COFFIN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,659, dated October` 4, 1859.

| To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, H. MARSHALL, of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented an Improved New and UsefulArticle of Manufacture-to wit, a Collin Made of Corrugated Sheet andVrought or Cast Iron; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1, is a side elevation of a corrugated sheet iron cofnconstructed after my invention. Fig. 2, is a top view. Fig. 3, is ahorizontal section, and Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section of thesame.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicatecorresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in a new article of manufacture, towit, a colfin having its bottom, ends and sides wholly constructed ofcorrugated sheet metal which is rolled or stamped into proper form andsurrounded at the upper edge of its body with a wrought or cast-ironframe which serves as a brace to the body and a holdfast for screws,substantially as hereinafter set forth.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, represents the body and B, the top of the coflin. The bottom, endsand sides of the body A, I make of corrugated sheet metal; rolled orstamped into proper form, the corrugations being disposed as shown inthe drawings or in any other manner that will give the greatest strengthand offer the most resistance to external or internal pressure. Aroundthe upper edge of the body A, I construct an angular iange C, ofcorrugated metal, the corrugations of said ange being disposed asrepresented, or so as to run transversely to the flange. Under theangular flange or in the recess formed around the upper edge of the bodyof the coflin by the same, I arrange a wrought or cast iron frame D, asshown, so as t-o stien the body and answer another end presently stated.The top B, I also make of corrugated sheet iron, the corrugations beingdisposed as represented, or in any other manner that will give thegreatest strength and stiness or withstand the most pressure bothinternally and externally. Around the edge of the top, a corrugatedflange E, is constructed. The corrugations run parallel with thecorrugations of the flange C, as represented, and being so disposed thatthe convex corrugations of one fiange stand opposite the concavecorrugations of the other flange when the top and body are fittedtogether. The coffin thus constructed, itis believed, will answer allthe ends of the heavy cast iron coliins at present in use, and if so, avery important object will have been attained in point of cheapness,lightness and beauty of design.

In the use of the common cast iron cofins, owing to their great weight,the devices employed to sustain them while lowering in the grave andtransferring from one point to another sometimes give way and thehorrible spectacle of a disflgured corpse exposed to the View of themourners. To avoid this sad spectacle is one of the designs of my lightcorrugated sheet metal coffin.

To fasten the top and body together, I employ screws of a symbolicalcharacter, such as shown in Fig. 5. These screws pass down through theflanges C, E, and take a firm hold in the wrought metal frame D asrepresented, and they with the aid of the rubberl or gutta-perchapacking a, introduced between the corrugated flanges O, E, form aperfectly air-tight joint; the rubber being crimped by the pressure ofthe screws and made to conform to the corrugations of the lianges, asrepresented. In order to afford a chance for friends to view the corpseafter the Collin is thus closed the ordinary glass window Z), isprovided in the top B. The glass plate is suspended between an angularflanch c, projecting down from the top B, all around the window spaceand another angular shaped flanch CZ, screwed or attached to the flanchc, as shown. Thus arranging the window relieves the packingr piece ofall up pressure. To pack the window air-tight an india-rubber gasket isplaced between two plates which are moved apart or brought together by ascrew, such as shown in Fig. 5. By inserting the packing device in thewindow space as shown and screwing up the screws, the plates will becaused to compress the rubber, force its edges against the sides of thewindow space so as to pack the window air tight.

I propose, in carrying out my invention on a large scale, to have asection or sections of the top at e, or other point made separate fromvthe other portion and to match said section or sections by means of adovetail or other similar method With the main portion. By thiscortruction, emblems or symbolical ligures or others of appropriatecharacter may be readily introduced. I also propose/:n order to preventany damage to the exterior of the colii/ from the contact of dirt toplace a corrugated metal casing of arch form over the coin, said casebeing open at bottom and closed at sides, ends and top.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure bv Letters Patent, is-

The new article of manufacture herein named, to Wit, a coiin having itsbottom, ends and sides Wholly constructed of corrugated sheet metalWhich is rolled or stamped into proper form, and surrounded at the upperedge of its body With a Wrought or castiron frame Which serves as abrace to the body and a holdfast for screws, substantially in the mannerand for the purpose herein described.

H. MARSHALL. Witnesses:

S. H. WALES, WM. TUscH.

